A 17-year-old boda boda rider was shot and wounded before two passengers robbed him of his motorcycle in Aweil, the capital of Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, police said.
The teenager, identified as Akol Lual Akol, was transporting two unidentified passengers from Aweil town to the Maduany area on Sunday when the attack occurred near World Food Programme (WFP) warehouses, police said.
South Sudan National Police spokesman for Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, Col. Madut Ngong Aleu, told Radio Tamazuj that the incident occurred on Sunday at about 6:30 p.m.
“At 6:30 p.m., a teenage boda boda rider called Akol Lual Akol was transporting two unidentified people from Aweil town to Maduany area,” Ngong said. “As they approached the WFP warehouses, the two suspects shot him in the left hand with a pistol and made away with the bike.”
Akol was receiving treatment at Aweil State Hospital while police launched a manhunt for the suspects, Ngong said.
“The boy is under medication at Aweil State Hospital, and a manhunt has been launched for the assailants. If they are traced, they will be brought to book,” he said.
Deng, a boda boda rider, said the increasing number of young riders is exposing them to risks, including attacks by criminals posing as passengers.
“Most boda boda riders are young children who cannot protect themselves and may not be able to identify criminals who pretend to be passengers and commit such crimes,” he said.
Wek Garang, executive director of the Peace Culture Association (PCA), condemned the attack and linked the incident to worsening economic hardship.
“I would like to commend the Aweil community for always being peaceful. The emergence of such incidents might be connected to economic hardships that are forcing people to abandon their positive values,” Garang said.
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